How Georgia Bulldogs Fans Can Help Aaron Murray Win the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award

by T Kyle King on Aug 21, 2011 4:30 PM EDT in Georgia Bulldogs Football

The Georgia Bulldogs head into the 2011 college football season with 99 problems, but a quarterback ain’t one. In fact, Aaron Murray enters the autumn on the watch list for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, a distinction he shares with the Tennessee Volunteers’ Tyler Bray, the Boise St. Broncos’ Kellen Moore, and the Mississippi St. Bulldogs’ Chris Relf.

Because Murray is on the Davey O’Brien Foundation’s radar screen, the country’s oldest national quarterback award ought to be on ours, as well. The 16 semifinalists for the honor will be announced on October 24, and college football fans have a small role to play in the selection process. Beginning on September 6, the Tuesday after Labor Day, each of us will be able to vote as often as once a day at the Foundation’s website.

As Thomas Layfield’s article comparing Aaron Murray to the likes of David Greene and Matthew Stafford in the Maple Street Press annual made clear, Murray has the potential to leave Athens as the top signal caller in Georgia history. The O’Brien Quarterback Award, which has a more commendable track record than the Heisman Trophy, would be a fitting addition to Murray’s trophy case.

As we say in Georgia, vote early and vote often. That goes double for y’all in Telfair County.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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Stephen Garcia's omission is a joke

He is second in the conference and among the top 15 nationally in passer rating among returning QB’s, top 15 in passing yards, and top 20 in completion percentage. He plays for a consensus preseason top 20 team, plays a multitude of high profile games, and competes against the best DB’s in the nation in conference play.

"Lattimore, as the kids can say, can ball, and sometimes does it to the extent one might say [he] is out of control in his balling." - Spencer Hall

by GwinnettGamecock on Aug 21, 2011 5:32 PM EDT reply actions

Garcia is yesterday's news...

…but that kid behind him scares me. He looks to be a much better QB than Garcia was/is.

Success is never final. --Winston Churchill

by Inteljumper on Aug 21, 2011 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions

I think for this one

They do add a character component. I’m not bashing Garcia, nut I bet that’s why.

by Mark Mandingo on Aug 21, 2011 7:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

but

Not calling you a nut either.

by Mark Mandingo on Aug 21, 2011 7:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

You're right, Mark; there are character and leadership components to the award.

Considering that Stephen Garcia was technically on indefinite suspension from team activities at the time the watch list was released, I’m sure those considerations, and not his on-field performance, were the reasons for his exclusion.

Given that Cam Newton won the award last year, though, I can’t conscientiously quarrel with any South Carolina fan who is outraged at Garcia’s exclusion.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Aug 21, 2011 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I think its essential to point out

That Cam Newton wasn’t aware of any potential character issues… and therefore they didn’t exist.

"If there's one thing worse than chlamydia, it's Florida." ~ Emma Stone

by RedCrake on Aug 21, 2011 9:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 3 recs

What did Andrew Luck do to not get included on this list?

Be a Heisman candidate?

How about Branden Weeden, Matt Barkley, Landry Jones, Denard Robinson, Robert Griffin? Kinda hard to believe that Tyler Bray and Chris Relf are better than those guys…

by rbubp on Aug 21, 2011 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Andrew Luck . . .

. . . is on the watch list, as are Matt Barkley, Robert Griffin, Landry Jones, Denard Robinson, Brandon Weeden, and several others.

Sorry for the confusion; I listed only the Georgia quarterback and the quarterbacks whose teams appear on the Bulldogs’ schedule, because those seemed to me the most relevant for our purposes. I didn’t mean to imply that those were the only four quarterbacks on the watch list. My bad.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Aug 22, 2011 7:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Then Bray's excessive back tat should automatically exclude him.

AmIright?

Will

by wqueenjr on Aug 22, 2011 8:34 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Can't win the top QB award when odds are you'll be benched 6 times during the season

Also, every extra year Garcia plays, I’m amazed. I would’ve figured he’d be a seventh year player by now.

The 984 Has Spoken!

by The984 on Aug 21, 2011 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions

For real.

It feels like Stephen Garcia should be pushing Wayne Madkin’s conference record for most consecutive years as an SEC starting quarterback. Seriously, was Madkin the starter for Mississippi State for eight straight seasons, or is it just me?

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Aug 21, 2011 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions